Nigeria:Lagos Seals-Off 8 Houses, Arrests 9 Over Illegal Construction

For failing to comply with building construction processes and laws&comma; Lagos State Building Control Agency&comma; LASBCA&comma; at the weekend sealed eight more houses at Ebute Metta and Surulere areas of the state&period;

It was gathered that the agency also arrested nine people found on site during the enforcement exercise carried out in collaboration with task force officials&period;

LABSCA had last week shutdown a Redeemed Christian Church of God&comma; RCCG&comma; and several buildings in Ajegunle area of the state&period;

The houses were sealed off at the weekend for various offences&comma; ranging from not obtaining building permit&comma; breaking government seals&comma; adding additional floor without approval&comma; among others&period;

Some of the building shutdown were located at No&period;28 Adegbenro Street&comma; Iwaya&comma; Yaba for failing to obtain permit and breaking government's seal&semi; while another building on 2 Araoti Street was shutdown for adding additional floor to the existing three-storey building without approval and for breaking government's seal&period;

A Gas Plant being constructed in a residential area on Borno Way&comma; Ebute Metta was also shut for not being approved&comma; while another four-storey building at 9 Coates Street&comma; Ebute Metta was shutdown for adding the fourth floor without approval&period;

A house at No&period; 1&comma; Rasak Balogun Street&comma; Surulere was shutdown after it was illegally inhabited by squatters who paid money to live inside&period;

Over 40 people were evacuated from the building being used as a guest house&period; People evacuated from the buildings said they paid up to N20&comma;000 monthly to live inside&comma; even after the building was sealed in 2017 for being distressed&period;

One of the tenants&comma; Beneta Joseph said she paid N20&comma;000 monthly to live in the house and that she did not known that it had been sealed by government&period;

Commenting on the development&comma; the General Manager&comma; LASBCA&comma; Engr&period; Olalekan Shodeinde said the law made it clear that before erecting a building&comma; the developer must obtain a plan approval&comma; which most of the buildings shutdown did not have&period;

He said all the buildings had been previously sealed&comma; but lamented that their owners broke government's seals to continue development illegally&comma; which he described as a criminal offence punishable under the law&period;

Shodeinde&comma; who was represented by Engr&period; Oyewole Ganiu&comma; Head&comma; Enforcement Department&comma; LASBCA said the building at I Rasak Balogun Street was shut down last year because it was distressed and that government did not want to lose any life&period;